celebrate CREATIVITY in all its forms

Laurel Burch

Is there anyone who hasn't seen and enjoyed the whimsical characters of Laurel Burch?  Her vibrant and colorful creations have that unique look that is so easily recognizable. Even if you have never heard of the name Laurel Burch, I suspect you can recognize her signature style of art. 

Laurel's mythical felines and fellow cast of bold, artistic characters seem to jump right out at you, from greeting cards, quilt books, paintings, scarves, tote bags, enamel jewelry and fabric as well as her widely popular ceramics and mugs. Laurel's patterns are also available on several embroidery discs. I added a few of her embroidery designs to this plain pink shirt for my daughter, with delightful results.

I own a couple of Laurel Burch's embroidery collections and I often use them for various embroidered gifts.  These are the kind of designs that never go out of style, and they can be used over and over again on just about everything. I love how a little embroidery can spruce up any item, as you can see in the adorable cat face design in the photo above as well as the cat and butterfly pictures below. The designs worked perfectly to jazz up the shirt.

The two embroidery patterns I used for this project are from a Laurel Burch collection called Fantastic Felines. If you take a look at the scan below you can see some of the other whimsical designs that are available on the same disc. The two designs I used are side-by-side in the second row.

It's always fun to watch the embroidery process reveal the ultimate pattern.  The beautiful feline face I used on the front of the shirt took a few hours to stitch out because of all the different thread color changes, 17-in all for this design.

While Laurel's embroidery designs tend to have lots of color changes, generally speaking most other embroidery patterns I use don't have quite as many. Despite the extra effort it takes to change all those thread colors, I feel it's always worth it after I see the wonderful finished pattern stitched out.

I also replaced the original tiny white buttons on the pink shirt, with these Laurel Burch buttons I picked up at a local sewing shoppe a few years ago. When I first bought the buttons I had no particular project in mind, I just loved them and snapped them up. I'm glad I found a great use for them after all these years. I think the buttons work nicely with this project and give the shirt a cute finishing touch, wouldn't you say?

Laurel's patterns are always so fun to look at and her quilt fabrics are just as delightful and whimsical.  One of my favorite quilt books is called Kindred Creatures by Laurel Burch. It features lots of beautiful projects for applique and embellishment. The book is filled with gorgeous photographs of the completed projects. There's so much talent and creativity throughout the pages, it's just a fun book to browse through whether you plan on sewing something or not.

Sadly, Laurel Burch passed away a few weeks ago after a long battle with illness. In her wonderful quilt book, Kindred Creatures she wrote, "share the world from the heart of your heart". I've always liked that sentiment. I think it speaks volumes, in a voice that crafters truly hear.

I think so many crafters are finding ways to "share the world from the heart of your heart", with help from their personal blogs. I know I do. I started this blog several months ago as a way to share my interest in all things regarding arts and crafts. At the time, I never imagined how many wonderfully talented people I'd come in contact with who love the same hobbies I do. This blog has allowed me to share my crafting, in ways I never would have been able to before. Equally satisfying has been all the work that is, in turn, shared with me.

There is such a wonderful community of talented crafters out there and blogging is a great way to connect with that never-ending pool of talent. It's a way to be inspired, learn and expand your creative talent beyond any boundaries you may have set for yourself. (It's also a great way to pick up even more hobbies-much to the chagrin of my husband, Boris).

Simply put, crafts and creative expression are good for the soul... and that's at the heart of why I celebrate CREATIVITY in all its forms!

The Log Cabin

You can't live in this Log Cabin, but you can certainly curl up in it. If you've never tried your hand at making a quilt, this is the perfect project for you. Log Cabin quilts are among the easiest to construct, and they're also a lot of fun.

I just love the fall colors and the beautiful pattern that runs through one end of the quilt to the other. This has always been one of my favorite quilt projects and if you browse through the pictures below, perhaps you'll be inspired to try your hand at making one too.

     

The Log Cabin quilt starts with one block that is duplicated dozens of times over. The beauty and the fun of this quilt, is the ability to create different overall patterns in the finished quilt, by simply shifting the arrangement of those identical blocks. The block, like the one below, is made up of a series of 1 1/4-inch "dark" fabric strips and "light" fabric strips that are sewn alternately around a small square center or heart.

For this block I used eight main fabrics selections- four florals and four fabrics in the tan/brown family.

    

Even though the above block is shown quilted, I think you can still clearly make out my four floral fabrics to the lower left of the quilt heart. These make up my necessary "darks". The four beige fabric stips to the upper right of the heart make up my required "lights".

I arranged 56-identical blocks in a zig-zag pattern, using the diagram below as my guide. From this diagram you can see how the dark edges, and the light edges of the blocks are lined up to give you that zig-zag appearance. If you were to move the blocks around, you'd get a totally different look.

    

One of the best Log Cabin books I've found is by well-known quilting expert Eleanor Burns who is known for her Quilt in a Day series of quilt books and patterns. Her book featuring the Log Cabin pattern is filled with step-by-step instructions that are easy to understand. There are also loads of pictures of beautiful finished quilts and layout diagrams to help you arrange your Log Cabin blocks into a pattern that suits you.   

     

Of course, the more blocks you use the larger your project will become. The size and number of your individual fabric strips also impacts the size of your quilt. After sewing my 56-blocks together I added two different border-fabrics to make the quilt even larger.

This Log Cabin measures approximately 74 X 84 inches, which makes it slightly larger than a standard queen size but smaller than a standard king size.

Experimenting with the Log Cabin blocks is a lot of fun. It's amazing to see the variety of appearances that can be created by just moving the blocks around in different positions. Take a look at the photo below and you can see how the floral zig-zags run through the project.

There are also several ways to finish-off your quilt. Most quilts have a basic straight edge along the bottom which leaves the overall quilt in a large square. In this case, I decided to scallop the edge to give the project a little more whimsy.

Scalloping the border and sewing the binding onto a curved edge does take a little extra time and effort but I think the enhanced result is well worth the extra labor.

     

I also love how a beautiful quilt can warm up any room and I've incorporated several of my quilt projects into my home decor. I'll share some of my other quilts later in a different post.

    

My family members tease me all the time, because I never really want anyone to actually use any of my quilts. I think of them more as fashion than function, if you know what I mean.

However, I do make exceptions for the furry feline below. Allow me to introduce Clarice, who loves to curl up and sleep on my quilt projects. She's such a quiet, sweet kitty. 

Come to think of it... this cat is always sleeping!

That's because she's actually a furry faux feline.  I picked her up at a local gift shoppe to console my kids who badly want a pet but can't have one because my husband, Boris, is allergic to dogs and cats. 

For now Clarice fits the bill. She's adorable, never any trouble at all... and her litter box is always clean.  MEOW!

Photo Fun

Any scrapbooker will tell you meaningful journaling and photographs that mean something to you, are at the heart of the pages we create. I've made a concerted effort this year to really work on fine tuning my own photographic eye by studying various techniques that can help turn a good photograph into a great one.  Even though I've been a longtime "picture snapper", I'm still a work in progress when it comes to consistently taking photographs I think are great. I still take thirty or forty pictures just to get that perfect one or two that I love.

I thought it would be fun to share a few favorite photographs from time to time.

The photo above features my daughter Cameron, as she takes in the sights and apparently.... the smells of nature. I just love that look on her face. Here's another favorite photo taken the same day. I was lucky enough to catch her mid-laugh, and I think this really captures her good-natured personality.

       

It's funny, when you start scrapbooking, your mind just re-wires itself when it comes to photography and everything starts looking like a potential scrapbook page. For example, when I was taking these pictures, the scrapbook wheels started churning. I remember thinking not just about the images, but also about a particular dandelion rubber stamp I had in my stash and how I might be able to use it with these pictures. I guess that's what you call scrap-think.

The layout below shows how all the pieces to my "scrap-think" ultimately came together for a winning entry in the Memory Makers Masters 2007 contest. I love the two photos above as stand-alones but decided to use just a portion of each one in the layout. One of the MMM-07 contest requirements was to create a page that represented the theme "Celebrate Life", and this is what I came up with. Notice the dandilion stamp?

This layout was featured in the January 2007 issue of Memory Makers magazine.

 

As I mentioned, I've actually been taking pictures for a very long time. My Dad bought me my very first camera when I was a young girl. It was a Canon AE1, an ultra sweet film camera.  The AE1 was considered revolutionary in it's heyday and was one of the top amateur cameras to own.  I still have it and it's in mint condition along with its original hippie-inspired patterned shoulder strap. Remember those? 

While the AE1 made me a Canon user for life, the poor little thing now just sits on a lonely shelf in my closet, thanks to the digital revolution. Of course I'm keeping the AE1 for posterity and sentimental reasons. Technology is fantastic but it does have a tendency to render loyal favorites obsolete.

    

These days it's just too impractical to use film cameras and there's little comparison when it comes to the advantages of digital systems. Digital tech has really opened up a world of endless photographic possibilities for me and I'm learning more and more every day about what works... and even more importantly... what doesn't work.

Now if only I could get a few photos I love after just 20 pictures instead of the current 30-40....I'll be well on my way.

By the way, my 7-year old son snapped the picture of me above. Maybe he's a future photographer.

Anyway, here's to hoping all your shots (film or digital) are picture perfect. Click, click... flash!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

Have you ever seen that office supply commercial where the Dad is joyfully filling up the shopping cart with school supplies as his sullen-looking children look on?  As you watch the dad click up his heels with each addition to the cart you can hear in the background that Andy Williams holiday classic, It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.  The kids in the spot never crack a smile. I love that commercial.  Mostly because I totally get it. I'm sure those of you reading this with school age kids are with me on this one. Well, my kids Cameron and Jordy headed back to school this week after what I think was an extraordinarily long summer vacation. Sigh of relief! That's cause for celebration!

These pictures were taken on Cameron and Jordy's first day at their new school last year.  Come to think of it... I remember celebrating then too.

To be fair, both my kids were actually pretty excited to get back to school to see old friends and make some new ones. I'm just glad to get them back into the regular school routine, which includes a strictly observed bedtime of 8:30p.m. sharp. No more late nights for these two.

SUPPLIES  Patterned paper: American Crafts, chipboard letters/star: Basic Grey, alphabet ribbon: Close to My Heart, Chipboard circular heart: Heidi Grace, sticker words, acrylic paint: Making Memories, sticker numbers: EK Success.

Sew Simple

I know a lot of people who tell me they could never learn to sew. What I hear most often goes something like.. "oh, I could never do that" or "it looks too hard" and then there's the " you have to have natural talent to sew nicely". To that I respectfully say... nonsense!

If you've never tried sewing, trust me it's easier than you may think. You just have to take the first few baby steps and you'll be on your way.

I love aprons and while they are great project for any skill level, aprons are perfect for a beginner project. I think the most important thing when starting out is not to tackle too complicated a pattern which could end up frustrating you and your efforts, and in the end have you abandoning the hobby altogether. Build up your confidence with something simple like an apron and then move on to something bigger.  There are so many wonderful fabrics, fun and easy patterns as well as helpful tools to help you get started. You can also take advantage of some beginner classes at your local fabric shoppe.

It's never too late to start and actually as you can see in the photos below, it's never too early to learn to sew either. I'm now teaching my daughter Cameron how to sew, just like my Mom taught me when I was growing up.

I love that Cameron has already taken a fancy to it too, and she's always eager to learn more.  She helped to cut out this apron and really enjoyed her success. She had some trouble at first with the oversized scissors. I wish I could find a really good pair of sewing shears designed for children.

I've been teaching Cameron how to read the pattern markings which can be confusing for a beginner, but she's sticking right with it. She's a quick learner and already pretty good at pinning and cutting out the fabric. That's great for me, because cutting out the pattern is my least favorite part of the sewing process. It's wonderful having a little helper!

My parents bought me my first sewing machine when I was not much older than my own daughter now. I remember at the time the salesperson thought it was such an advanced machine for a girl so young but my parents sprung for it anyway. While, I have now upgraded to a much nicer machine, I still have that early Singer Stylist 534, which in some circles may be considered an antique of sorts. The machine is actually in remarkable shape after all these decades, and I'm thrilled about that. Especially since this is the machine Cameron is now learning on.  This is also the machine I use for the majority of my scrapbooking stitching projects.

Important note: When using a sewing machine for scrapbooking and paper crafts, be careful not to sew over any type of adhesive. If glues and tape remnants are caught on your needle, the needle will carry it down into your mechanical elements, gumming up your machine and potentially causing major damage.

The apron below is made out of a fabric called pique. It's a wonderful cotton blend with a fun indented texture. I actually made this apron for myself, but I think my cute little model may claim this one for herself... even though it's too large for her.

Now that I think about it, considering Cameron's enthusiastic assistance on this project... I may just let her have this apron after all.  She can always grow into it.

This project was made from Simplicity pattern #3949.  There are a several apron styles in the package, including a bibbed apron which I made several months ago.